


Relying On Love

by YourWonderfulWeirdo



Category: Fallen - Lauren Kate
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fallen Angels, Lucifer Feels
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-11
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-01-11 19:53:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18430961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YourWonderfulWeirdo/pseuds/YourWonderfulWeirdo
Summary: Lucifer had watched, in completely suppressed envy, as everyone found someone to love. Luce and Daniel, living in the mortal world. Cam and Lilith were the most recent, awakening the desire for someone in Lucifer. The devil retreated, not to Hell but to a place in the mortal world. There he met her, someone who he was sure, that had a soul just as tattered as his. Lucifer had found his love story.[ takes place after Unforgiven. I just want our Lucifer to get some love. I feel like he's just jealous of not only the Throne but of all those who have defied him in order to be with their love. This isn't from Supernatural, it's from the series of Fallen novels by Lauren Kate. I don't want any confused or angry Supernatural fans in the comments ;)]





	1. desiring what you once had [Lucifer]

**Author's Note:**

> [ and another BTW before you read, this is also available on Wattpad if you’d like to read it there as well ]

South Padre Island, the name rolled off the tongue quite easily. Lucifer found himself sitting on that very beach, the crashing waves lapping at his white Vans and the fading sunlight warming his exposed skin. 

He knew that Roland was surely after him but he didn't care. He didn't care about the coming revolution, didn't care about anything at the moment. Because he knew what made him bet, what had made him ache every time he saw how much Daniel and Luce loved each other, how determined Cam was to get Lilith to love him. 

He wanted to love someone too.

He had suppressed it for too long, telling himself that it was just his nature to behave this way, that he had always been this way. But now, the feeling was more prominent than ever, eating at him, clawing at his soul and begging him to just admit it. He felt the tears rushing to his eyes but he had to swallow back his sobs to avoid burning his clothes. Nobody needed to know he had acid tears.

"Hey. Are you okay?" A gentle voice called, brushing against his ears like the sweet air of the beach. Lucifer shook his head to clear his tears and twisted around to face the owner of the voice. The devil nearly lost his voice when he saw the person who had called him.

She looked like any other girl but there was something about her that made something click inside Lucifer. "Oh God, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have bothered you." She said quickly, an embarrassed flush crawling up her fair skin. His eyes must've shown he had been close to crying.

Lucifer was surprised that she hadn't backed away yet, no fear on her face. Just embarrassment coating over her previous concern. Then he remembered that he still looked like a twenty-two-year-old mortal, yet too handsome to be mortal. He blinked back the tears as he looked back at the girl. 

She turned swiftly on her heel and began to walk away but Lucifer found himself rising to his feet, reaching for her shoulder. It was only a gentle brush of his fingertips on the soft cloth that covered her shoulder that made her turn around, a curious glint in her mesmerizing hues. Lucifer forced himself to tear his gaze from her eyes and look at the sand by his wet shoes.

"It's alright. Um, I was kind of looking for someone to talk to." He said quietly, mentally surprised at how timid his voice was and the girl smiled sympathetically.

She bent down to steal Lucifer's gaze from the very interesting sand to her eyes, and once again, he wanted to stare into her eyes forever. "Sounds like something really upset you, huh?" She asked, purely rhetorical but Lucifer still nodded.

"Well, um, if you want to talk," She trailed, clasping her hands together behind her back."I'm a great listener. It's all I ever do." She punctuated the sentence with a small laugh. 

"If it's not too much trouble." He said,"I'd really appreciate it." Instead of leading her back to his sitting place, Lucifer suggested that they walk along the beach, while the sun was still above the water.

"So, I assume that it's bad, considering that you were about to start bawling when I interrupted." She said.

"Well, I didn't want to cry. It's not the best thing for me to do." Lucifer said, earning a confused look from the girl.

She looked back down at the sand as she answered,"You do know that it's okay to cry, right? It's completely natural."

"Not for me." Lucifer mumbled, saddened for the first time at the temptation of being mortal, of having the ability to cry without hurting others. It was odd, for the devil especially, to think such things but deep down, Lucifer knew this was the truth.

The girl stopped suddenly, and Lucifer with her. He looked right back into her gaze, which was as confused as ever. The way her face was etched with something he couldn't quite place, it made something rise inside him. Before he realized it, Lucifer was close to tears again.

He hastily sniffled and choked back his coming sobs before the toxic acid could give away his true persona to this newfound 'friend', if he could call her that. But she was aware that Lucifer had almost cried once again. And that emotion was carved in her face once again.

"I'm sorry. It's just not in my nature to cry." Lucifer said, fighting the urge to wipe his eyes on his sleeves.

"Well, it doesn't matter what you are or where you come from. Doesn't matter how or where you were raised." She looked at me, a soft smile gracing her face. "It's natural, something we can't really control at times. It's okay, um. . . shoot!" She broke out in laughter suddenly.

"What?" He asked, sniffing a bit more as his eyes cleared of the toxic tears.

She ran a hand through her hair, pushing back the locks to show her forehead,"I just realized that we don't even know each other's names. I'm Kenna Andrews."

Lucifer found a laugh bubbling up on his throat too and it came out as a deep, alluring sound. "I'm Luc." He said, the name that had grown on his tongue, rolled off so easily. Kenna smiled as they continued their walk along the beach.

"But as I was saying, Luc," Kenna began and Lucifer turned to look right at her,"It's a perfectly natural thing to cry. I mean, we're all human, right?"

Lucifer only nodded, halfheartedness leaking into the gesture. Thankfully, it slipped past Kenna's sharp senses. "I suppose." They walked in silence for a while longer and when Kenna cast a look at the ocean over Lucifer's shoulders, a sudden fear ignited in her eyes. Lucifer sensed her change of mood immediately.

"What's wrong?" He asked, facing her completely as she swiftly began walking the way they came. "Kenna? Did I say something?" He asked, fearing he might've lost the one friend he's had in thousands of years.

"No, it's not you Luc." She said, easing the devil's worry instantly,"But my boyfriend isn't exactly okay with me staying out too late." The word 'boyfriend' sent a tiny spark of disappointment and jealousy into Lucifer's soul.

"Does he," Lucifer hesitated, utterly unsure if it would be okay for him to ask this question to a girl he met just an hour ago,"hurt you?" It came out anyways.

Kenna came to an abrupt halt, her hands trailing up her own arms. Lucifer noticed for the first that, despite the warm rays the sun had granted during the day, Kenna wore a gray hoodie not a short-sleeved shirt like him. An inexplicable longing rushed over Lucifer as his own hands pulled at Kenna's arms which were seconds away from wrapping around herself like a boa constrictor.

Kenna took a shuddering breath,"He claims he loves me. I don't know what goes on in his deranged mind, but it's anything but love." The pain in her eyes said all the things she couldn't at the moment. And Lucifer felt the same spark when he first saw her.

Of course, he was 'destined' to fall in love with the girl who had an experience similar to Lucinda. The only difference was that Lucifer was ready to listen to her side of this modern version of the story, for he ached for someone to love him as he had once loved Lucinda.

"Why are you still with him?" Lucifer found himself asking the question in a voice that seemed to be coated in sympathy.

Kenna shrugged, shaking her head all the while,"I can't even imagine what he'd do to me if he found out I had even thought about something like that. And I have. Multiple times." 

"I'll be with you when you do it. If he tries to even touch you, I promise you that I'll protect you." He said with sudden confidence and protectiveness creeping into his voice.

Kenna looked up at Lucifer's brilliant blue eyes, shocked at the act of kindness by this man she had just met. Lucifer thought he had said something offending and was about to apologize when he saw Kenna's lips turn up into a soft smile.

"Thank you, Luc." She said, gratitude sparkling in her eyes and Lucifer felt himself smile. She led him to her car, a battered van she said belonged to her deranged boyfriend.

As they drove down the island roads, Lucifer watched as Kenna frequently removed one hand from the steering wheel at a time and wiped them on her jean shorts. She would put them back and be fine for a while, only to take them off and wipe them again.

"I don't know, Luc." Kenna started, watching the stoplight anxiously as it flickered to a shade of green. She swallowed before continuing,"Maybe this isn't such a good idea." They continued down the street, the street lamps lighting their way.

"It's okay. He won't hurt you. I promise." Lucifer said, hesitantly wrapping his hand around Kenna's as they turned into a small neighborhood. It looked abandoned, the only light was the street lamp and few porch lights. Kenna sighed shakily as they pulled into a driveway that had an angry looking man waiting in the porch. He seemed to have a permanent frown in his face.

Kenna exited the car as Lucifer followed. "Finally!" He called, storming over and pulling over a dark aura."Where have you been? And who the Hell is this?" The man asked, reaching to clasp a hand around Kenna wrist. As Kenna cringed, Lucifer swiftly pulled the girl behind him, practically hiding her behind his tall, muscular frame.

The man glared in shock at Lucifer before rage tainted his expression. "Who the Hell are you?" He snarled again as a quiet whimper emitted from Kenna. Lucifer ached to just take her into his arms and whisper anything to soothe her. But first, he had to rid her of this cruel being.

Kenna slowly emerged from behind Lucifer, her face still fearful but she spoke to the man nonetheless,"I met him at the beach, Kyle. I haven't cheated on you." Her voice was pleading, as if she was begging for Kyle to spare her this invisible beating. 

Kyle jostled his upper body and lunged for Kenna. He would've gotten her, but Lucifer managed to get the girl behind him once again, his arms bending backwards to secure her position. "I'm sick of you taking your anger out on me. Kyle." Kenna said from behind Lucifer, amazing him with how much confidence her voice surged with.

Kyle looked astounded at Kenna's words and leaned forward just a tad before he spoke again,"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Kyle didn't sound sad or disappointed or anything close to that. He sounded only enraged.

"Kyle Garza," Kenna's voice wavered at the two words,"I'm breaking up with you." Lucifer could almost picture her triumphant smile at that statement. 

Kyle said nothing as he scowled once more before he stamped to the house, slamming the door to make it not shut all the way. A soft and proud laugh emitted form Kenna as she practically skipped in front of Lucifer. A brilliant smile radiating happiness lay on Kenna's face. She looked adorable so proud, Lucifer had to wrestle the urge to pick her up and spin her around.

"I did it, Luc!" She cried happily, throwing herself at Lucifer and hugging him tightly. The taller man smiled and laughed into her hair as she laughed as well. Just as Lucifer was about to congratulate Kenna, Kyle came out the door with something in hand. 

Lucifer recognized the object as a switch as Kyle readied it to strike Kenna, who was still in front of Lucifer. In one fluid motion, the pair swapped places, the switch hitting Lucifer's t-shirt covered back, yet failing to rip the fabric. "Luc!" Kenna cried while Lucifer rounded on Kyle. 

The shorter male dropped the switch as Lucifer strained himself to not allow his anger to get the best of him. Kyle backed away, tripping on his own feet. Especially sitting flat on his butt, Lucifer towarded over Kenna's, now ex, boyfriend. "Don't even try to get back with her. From now on, she's under my protection." He snarled turning away from the man as he scrambled into the house and walking back to Kenna, who stood trembling in shock. "Are you alright?" He asked, brushing a strand of her curly brown hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. 

Kenna nodded, not moving her gaze from his as his warm, pale hand cupped her face. "I don't have anywhere to go, Luc." She said, eyelids fluttering as his thumb rubbed her cheek. 

"Neither do I." Lucifer chuckled,"Care to share a hotel room?" Kenna laughed quietly, nodded in appreciation. 

Since neither of the two had a car, they decided to walk to the nearest hotel in hope that they'd take a last minute reservation. They walked into the La Quinta Inn & Suites and to the front counter, where a more than bored lady sat on her phone.

"Hello ma'am. Are there any last minute rooms available?" With out speaking, the lady handed them a key card to room 119 and the price on a piece of paper. Kenna took one look and her eyes widened in shock.  
"Luc, I can't afford this." She trailed.

"Who said you were paying?" Lucifer chuckled, pulling a silver card from his pocket and handing it to the lady. Being the devil had its perks. She swiped it and they left, Kenna called a quiet 'thank-you' over her shoulder as they walked to the elevator. 

When they finally found the room they were sharing, it was clear Kenna had never seen anything like a hotel room. The room was large with a connected bathroom right as you entered. Lucifer noticed Kenna looking around in childish awe and eyed the one table her eyes hadn't caught yet. A set of cotton shorts and a white V-neck two sizes too big for Kenna's lean frame materialized on the table.

"Of course, we get the room with one bed. You can have it. I'll sleep on the couch." Kenna said, walking into the bathroom.

Lucifer grabbed the clothing for Kenna and rapped gently on the door,"Kenna?"

"Hmm?"

"Um, here." The door open a crack and Lucifer's eyes swiftly caught sight of her thin baby pink tee, barely concealing her deep magenta bra.

Kenna took no notice of Lucifer's growing blush or his eyes unintentionally checking her out as she took the clothing and mumbled thanks before retreating back into the bathroom. Lucifer turned, puffing harshly as Kenna turned on the shower. He flopped down on the bed, his hands on his face.

He wasn't used to feeling something this powerful. It was so different than what he had felt for Lucinda way back then. What he felt for Lucinda was a childish love and a venomous want for her to adore him, when she said that adoration was only for God. Now, when he saw Kenna, the beautifully tattered soul that seemed to fit into his, he felt something rich and warm within him. He knew now that this was love, what Daniel and Lucinda fought so diligently for, what Cam and Lilith felt so prominently for each other.

It was new, different and scary even for the devil himself. He pondered it steadily, as steadily as the water from the shower faucet in the bathroom. For the first time, Lucifer knew that he couldn't bargain anything or anyone to get out of this. He came to the decision to play fates game instead of his own.

Kenna exited the bathroom, still drying her hair with a fluffy towel. Lucifer succeeded in not staring at the scars and bruises, obviously given by Kyle, that spotted her arms. She sat down on the bed besides Lucifer and pushed a bit of his wavy auburn hair behind his ear. His eyes drifted to her, soaking up her raw beauty with her fresh, relaxed smile and her drenched hair.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked, a tiny giggle beginning the sentence.

"Nothing important." Lucifer muttered, knowing he shouldn't voice his current thoughts. In case, Kenna tried to probe more, he deftly tried to conjure up another thought to keep her at bay.

Kenna giggled again, turned and sitting cross-legged on the pristine comforter. "What a lie." She said, continuing to dry her hair,"If it makes you put on your thinking face then it's obviously important." She smirked playfully at him as he sat up and looked over to her.

"Well, I was only pondering if," Lucifer chewed his tongue, desperately trying to find something else to finish the sentence,"maybe we could share the bed? The couch doesn't look all that comfortable."

Kenna raised a brow, her smirk falling into a questioning frown. "You're right. That's not important." She said and rolled to the other side of the bed to yank off a pillow.

"They don't have a spare blanket." Lucifer protested as Kenna threw the pillow onto the couch.

She pinched the spot between her eyes and nose,"Luc, I slept on the raggedy couch at Kyle's more times that I can imagine. Most of the time without anything else. The pillow itself is a luxury for me." With that she walked to the little desk where the phone was, probably to call the front desk and ask for a blanket.

The moment her eyes faced the window, Lucifer darted to the couch and flopped down, his head on the pillow. "Thank you. I'll be waiting." He watched as Kenna hung up the phone and began walking back to the couch, only to stop in mid stride when she saw Lucifer laying on it longways. She seemed to be smiling at the gesture or just the fact that he was too tall for it and had to have his feet propped up on the arm rest.  
"I'm impressed by the lengths you go through." She said with a laugh. 

"Now, you have to sleep on the bed." Lucifer said with a triumphant smirk. Kenna laughed louder and shook her head, damp curls flying.

"No, not really. You didn't think it through. Because eventually, you'll get up to go to the bathroom or something."Kenna said, and Lucifer remembered that she thought he was mortal like her. Of course, it was a good idea to keep up the mortal image by going to the bathroom and such when he didn't actually need to.

"And when you do, I'll reclaim the couch." She said, sitting on the foot of the bed and turning on the television.

It was kind of quiet for a while, the only sound in the room being the cheesy laughs from the sitcom that Kenna put on. Eventually, Lucifer got up and walked over to Kenna, sitting down besides her. "I abandoned the couch." Lucifer said, kicking off his Vans and laying back on the bed, his auburn locks splaying out like a halo.

Before Kenna could say anything, there was a knock at the door. "Miss? I have your blanket." A chirpy voice of the room service lady made Kenna close her mouth and walk over to the door.

She opened the door and took the blanket from the nice lady, Lucifer not bothering to look in her direction, just remained looking at the ceiling fan above the bed. Lucifer listened to her bare feet padding across the carpet, expecting for her to go back to the empty couch.

But he sat up in surprise when the bed dipped with added weight. Lucifer twisted around to see Kenna sitting on the right side of the bed. "I call this side." She said, pulling back the comforter to lay the blanket beneath it. The pillow was back in it's place and Kenna was looking at Lucifer as if she was silently asking him if they could share the bed.

"You had first dibs. It's only fair." Lucifer said, smiling gently and walking over to the left side of the bed. He knew it would be uncomfortable sleeping in his denim jeans and beige t-shirt. But he couldn't conjure any new clothes without drawing suspicion from Kenna. He was thinking of resorting to just sleeping in the shirt and his underwear, but he feared that Kenna would feel uncomfortable.

Somehow, Kenna sensed his dilemma and, as if she could read his mind, she said,"You don't have to sleep in your jeans. Just don't sleep nude." She laughed slightly at her own statement and curled under the blanket, facing the closed curtains at the window on the other side of the room.

Quickly, Lucifer stripped himself of the fitted denim trousers, leaving them folded on the couch along with his socks and crawled into bed, leaving a safe distance between him and Kenna. He cast one long, last look over his shoulder at Kenna's back. She still hadn't shed her magenta bra and it was noticeably visible through the thin V-neck. He wanted to roll over and wrap his arms around her waist, to smell her hair and the sweet aroma of gardenias that emitted from her.

He longed for it with an inexplicable desire, something that he was so unsure of now. Slowly, obvious uncharacteristicly hesitant, he rolled on his other side. There was still a little space between him and Kenna. He inched forward and saw Kenna's flank rise and fall with her steady, sleepy breaths.

Gingerly, he placed a hand on her waist, waiting for her to flinch or jump off the bed. She didn't move but Lucifer could tell there was a half-asleep smile on her face as he moved closer and wrapped his arm around her waist.

Kenna hummed sleepily and her right hand trailed down to place itself on Lucifer's. Testing the waters one last time, Lucifer pulled her close against him, her sweet fragrance making his dizzier and dizzier. Kenna said nothing, still relaxed as Lucifer drifted to sleep. It wasn't required for demons or the devil to sleep. They only did it to blend in with the mortals.

But lying with his arm securely around Kenna, sleep seemed to come to Lucifer so easily and soon, he was drifting into the first peaceful slumber he's had since he can remember.

And he swore that he heard Kenna whisper,"Goodnight Luc."


	2. and good morning to you as well [Lucifer]

Lucifer woke up to the sound of something fluttering outside the window. It slipped his now-anxious mind that it might've been birds and he carefully slid his arm off of Kenna without waking her. Swiftly pulling on the clothing items he had shed the night before, he darted out the door and to the beach outside the hotel.

He looked around, seeing nothing but a few gulls and the hazy morning sky. The anxiety faded and he calmed with a tiny smile. But the moment he turned, his eyes landed on the two figures standing in the grass. Their wings remained hidden within their skin but their eyes were trained menacingly on him.

"This ends now, Lucifer." Roland snarled, a fire burning in his dark eyes. Arriane said nothing, her blue eyes studying Lucifer. Lucifer noticed that she had grown out her hair since he last saw her at Cross Roads.

Her hair was now curling at her shoulders rather than her shaven head style. She seemed to be processing what Lucifer was doing here, as if she knew, but still remained silent.

It was when Roland lunged for the devil that Arriane stepping in front of her friend, shocking both Roland and Lucifer. "Don't. Not yet." Arriane said softly, twisting her head around to look at Lucifer. "You found someone."

Lucifer gaped in shock at her knowledge of Kenna, who hopefully was still asleep in the hotel room. Roland looked more confused than Lucifer, staring at Arriane. "What are you talking about?" Roland questioned.

"Lucifer found someone." She repeated to Roland and walked over to Lucifer. Arriane stood before Lucifer, a smile crawling up her face. "Who is she?"

He was astonished that Arriane knew when Roland was the one that knew the majority of things. "Her name is Kenna." Lucifer said after taking a big breath of salty sea air,"I can't explain what I feel for her, it's all so new and unfamiliar. It's kind of frightening." 

Roland still gaped at the two,"Wait, you mean to tell me that the devil experienced 'love at first sight'?" Arriane nodded as did Lucifer.

"Yes. Didn't think it was possible, did ya?" The question was directed at both of the males but neither of them answered.

"Anyways, Roland,"Arriane looked directly at the demon,"I told you something was different."

Lucifer looked down at the smaller girl,"How did you know?" 

Arriane shrugged before walking back to Roland,"I was around Daniel and Luce for years. Those two lovesick birdies emit more hormones than a pregnant sow. Believe me, I know the signs." Lucifer decided against questioning Arriane.

"So, do you ever plan on telling her who you really are?" Roland asked, his eyes scanning Lucifer's young, mortal disguise. "My guess is you haven't."

"Well, you're not wrong." Lucifer trailed, his hand running itself through his luscious auburn locks. "I intend to tell her, but I don't know when or how." 

"I can help with that. And other things." Arriane said, clapping her hands together in excitement. "But you should get back to her. She'll wake up any minute."

Lucifer nodded and was about to run past the two when Arriane placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "And you should know that there are some others after you. And they might not be as understanding as me and Roland."

"What do you mean?" He asked, knowing exactly what kind of answer we was going to get.

"The revolution has started." Roland says, his tone darker than Lucifer had ever heard it. But he nodded and continued to the hotel. 

He walked out of the elevator and down the hall to the bedroom, his hands loaded with a few 'shopping bags' he materialized in case Kenna was already up, trying to look as nonchalant as possible. 

He had been right to prepare the bags as an excuse. Kenna was sitting up and yawning while she stretched her sleepy joints. She looked over at Lucifer, smiling as she shook her mane of bedhead hair.

"Morning Luc." She said through a yawn and hopped out of bed,"Where'd you go so early? You left me kinda worried." She laughed, arching a brow at Lucifer curiously.

Unable to form words to answer, Lucifer held out the bags for Kenna,"Went to the gift shops around the island to get some clothes." Kenna took the bags in surprise and peered inside at the contents.

"I, um, I don't really know your size so they might be a bit big. There should be a belt in there somewhere." Lucifer said quickly as Kenna looked curiously at the large blue t-shirt Lucifer had gotten her.

Kenna studies the fabric for a little while longer before looking up and smiling at Lucifer. "Thank you, Luc." She said, obviously touched by the gesture.

She pulled out a pair of denim jean shorts, and rummaged around in the bag to find the belt Lucifer mentioned. It was a carefully woven white belt that seemed too beautiful to be in a gift shop. Hopefully, that thought won't occur to Kenna. She said nothing as she walked into the bathroom with the clothing in hand.

Lucifer sighed in relief and tossed the bags onto to couch before flopping down on the bed. The sheets were drenched in her aroma, a beautiful smell to Lucifer. He was straining to not grab one of her pillows and inhale it till he didn't know what it was like to not have her scent tattooed in his nose. 

That aroma was his drug. No, she was his drug. Lucifer moaned in desperate desire and put his hands too harshly on his face, making a loud smack! sound.

Kenna came out of the bathroom, humming some tune softly and twisting her lovely curls into a bun, a few strands falling into her face. "You gonna take shower?" She asked, pulling a frilly black scrunchie over the twist of her hair.

"Um, yeah. That'd be a good idea." Lucifer said, chuckling nervously as he took a pair of khaki cargo shorts and a dark blue polo from the bag. He walked swiftly past Kenna, who was neatly folding her makeshift pajamas and beginning to make the bed.

Lucifer closed and locked the bathroom door before unfurling his wings. Their condition shocked him. The last time he had seen them, they were a tarnished green-gold, a sickening color to most. But now, as he had noticed Cam's wings to have, some of the feathers of his wings were no longer their previous shade. But they weren't white either, not at all like Cam's wings.

The fibers of his wings were turning a gentle gray, the shade of the clouds on a rainy day. It was difficult to spot as they were scattered and hidden amongst the more prominent tarnished ones, but they were there. Lucifer reached behind him, his fingers feeling the downy-soft gray feathers against the rough, almost scaly green-gold neighbors.

Lucifer didn't know what to make of it. So he just stripped himself of his clothes and turned on the water. It warmed quickly as Lucifer stepped under the steady stream. The water soaked his entire form, leaving him drenched in the soothing water. At his feet, he could see the tiny critters, that had once scuttled within his wings, flow down the drain and disappear.

He quickly washed his hair and body, taking a little extra time to attempt to scrub his wings, and stepped out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his lower half. He took another towel to dry his dripping wings before sliding them back into his skin. He dried off and pulled on his fresh clothing, ripping off the tags and tossing them in the trash bin.

He walked out, pulling on his white Vans and saw Kenna sitting on the couch, thumbing through a brochure from the hotel. "Hey, Kenna. I saw this little diner around the island. I was thinking maybe we could go to breakfast there." Lucifer said as Kenna looked up from her brochure.

Kenna gasped and sighed, a childish excitement sparkling in her eyes,"Oh, was it Denny's? I love Denny's! I used to go there as a kid." Kenna laughed, smiling brightly. Not even knowing where the Denny's was, Lucifer nodded.

Kenna put the brochure on the table beside the couch, tied her hoodie around her waist and the pair walked down to the lobby. As they exited the elevator, Lucifer immediately spied familier dreadlocks and red-tinted black hair in the lobby chairs.

"Hey Luc!" Arriane called, jumping out of the chair and walking over. "You must be Kenna. We ran into Luc when he was looking for some clothes for you at the gift shops."

Lucifer shot a discreet glare at Arriane, who winked back unnoticed by Kenna. "He talked, he talked about me?" Kenna asked in disbelief, a tiny flush crawling up her fair skin. 

"Yeah, of course." Arriane said as Roland stepped up beside her. "Oh, and this is Roland." The darker skinned boy waved at Kenna.

"So where y'all going? Maybe we could give you guys a ride." Arriane offered, linking her arm through Kenna's like they've known forever. The two started chattering, and Lucifer could see that Kenna already liked Arriane. 

"Were you two listening?" Lucifer asked, leaning down so only Roland could hear.

"Yep. Arriane's idea, if you couldn't tell." Roland said, and Lucifer nodded with a slight smile. "Where are we going, by the way?" Roland called to the two girls as they walked to a station wagon parked in the curve of the hotel driveway.

"The Denny's, yes?" She asked turning to Kenna, smiling excitedly. All of them climbed into the white Taurus station wagon, Lucifer recognized Sophia Bliss' old car, and Roland quietly persuaded Arriane to get out of the driver’s seat.

Sitting in a car was a really awkward thing for them, Lucifer especially. Roland didn't have much of a choice but to deal with the itch of his wings to spread and at least be folded behind him. He had to drive because Arriane driving was a sure way to get a ticket. You could see the tiny, almost unnoticeable squirms as he drove. 

Arriane adjusted quicker than Roland, turning around in her seat to continue her conversation with Kenna. She was obviously used to things like this and actually enjoyed it. 

Lucifer, however, was the least adjusted of them all. He could sit in a chair like an ordinary person and lay in bed to feign sleep. But he couldn't lean back against the rubbery seats of this car. Since letting his wings out in the bathroom of the hotel, he had been aching to fly, to feel the warm sea air running through his feathers. Despite a few discreet fidgets, he listened along to the conversation of the two girls, smiling and laughing quietly.

"Honestly, I'd never date a guy. Period. I want a girl, a woman I can spend all day with. Just lounging around and watching old movies. Drinking either coffee or something and knowing exactly what was on the others mind." Arriane sighed, longingly. Lucifer knew she was thinking of Tessriel, her former lover. He could understand the ache Arriane must feel, but knew better than to tell her so. Arriane would kill him with a starshot if he said anything.

"Yeah, Kyle was never the best boyfriend. Beside the abuse, he never let me go out that often and he always came home smelling like another girl's perfume." Arriane shook her head in disapproval. 

"It's great that you left him. He can go—" 

"We're here!" Roland called, earning a groan from Arriane. Kenna laughed and climbed out of the car along with all of the others. Arriane threw an arm around Kenna's shoulders as Lucifer walked with Roland behind them, eyeing them in jealousy.

They walked into the restaurant and were quickly seated in the back at a booth with a window. A pretty, preppy-looking waitress skipped over, ready to take their orders. Although, she looked more than eager to take Lucifer's order.

"Mornin' guys! I'm Wendy and I'll be serving you this morning. Can I start you off with some coffee, sweetheart?" Her gaze was locked onto Lucifer, his square, handsome face. She lazily passed out the menus and silverware, daintily handing Lucifer his.

"I'll have the Grand Slam Slugger with a coffee." Roland said, getting more and more annoyed at this Wendy's presence.

"Of course! How about you, sweetie?" Still looking at Lucifer. But Arriane put her order in next.

"I'll have the Choconana Pancake Breakfast and a coffee as well." Arriane said, matching the waitress' chirpy tune with her own. The only thing was hers was laced with a tiny bit of malice.

"Sure thing. And for you?" Kenna was sitting between Lucifer's annoyed glare directed to Wendy's seductive gaze, looking down at her menu with a strong concentration.

"Actually," Lucifer started, lacing an arm around Kenna's shoulders as Arriane did outside the hotel and the restaurant. Wendy's gaze visibly hardened. "We'll be sharing," Lucifer carefully enunciated the word 'sharing', more than likely to just tick off the waitress,"the, um, what was it you wanted to order, love?"

Kenna looked both stunned and comfortable with Lucifer's arm around her. But she opened the menu with shaky hands and meekly pointed to one of the items,"This one."

"The Super Slampler with two glasses of your Orange Dreamsicle." Lucifer folded up his menu and Kenna's and handed it to Wendy. She smiled stiffly and stalked off to the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, Kenna. I couldn't handle her stares either." Lucifer said sincerely. He moved to take off his arm from her shoulders but Kenna tentatively put a hand on his to keep it in place.

Arriane smiles at the pair and Roland's lips twitched in the slightest echo of a smile. Lucifer could see Kenna's glowing blush outshining his own pale pink tint. He marveled as it spread to the tips of her ears and all but pulled her onto his lap. 

"It's alright," She said, ever so softly that Lucifer almost didn't hear her,"I kinda like it." Her smile was brighter than the sun but smaller that her current tone. It made Lucifer fall even more in love with her. He didn't care how different or strange the feeling was, he just knew that she was meant for him. Their souls fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.

Wendy returned with their drinks, all smiles and preppy steps. Before either of them could question her sudden happy mood, she tripped and almost fell face-first onto the ground. But their drinks were gone, and Kenna was covered in coffee and sweet orange slush.

"Kenna!" Lucifer cried instantly, ignoring the glares Arriane and Roland were issuing to the waitress' smug smile. Kenna slowly opened her eyes, probably thankful Wendy failed to get anything on her hair which would've been a real dilemma. "Are you alright?" He asked while Kenna stared down at her ruined clothes.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." Kenna said, reaching for the cloth her bundle of silverware was hiding in. In a complete daze, she wiped at her arms, clearing away the piping hot coffee on her arms to reveal new red patches on her bruised arms. Sighing, Kenna attempted to remove the large spot of orange slush on the crotch of her jean shorts.

"I'm really sorry, honey," Her tone sounded more smug and sneering instead of apologetic,"Let me go and get you guys some more drinks. On the house, alright?" Without waiting for a response, Wendy skipped off to the kitchen, practically giddy.

"C'mon, Ken," Arriane said gently, climbing out of the booth to help Kenna up. "Let's go get ya cleaned up." Kenna nodded, mumbling numerous 'sorry's at any little thing as Arriane took her to the ladies washroom.

"I'll drive down to the nearest gift shop and get her some new clothes, okay?" Lucifer nodded and Roland left, twirling the car keys around his finger and waved to the two girls.

As Kenna and Arriane rounded the corner, Wendy came skipping back with their drinks. Noticing that it was only Lucifer sitting at the booth now, her smile widened,"I apologize about that little incident with the drinks. I mentioned these are on the house, right?" She said and Lucifer nodded, not wanting to speak to this girl.

"So what's the deal with you and that other girl? The curly-haired one." She asked, placing down the coffees on one side and the Orange Dreamsicles on Lucifer's side. "Are you two dating or falling out? She didn't look all that happy with your arm around her shoulders like that. Personally, I think you’re too good for her."

Lucifer was just about fed up with this girls commentary about something that was absolutely none of her business. Thankfully, Arriane hopped over to the booth and sat down across from Lucifer. A silent thanks passed between the pair.

Wendy immediately stopped her inquiries and opinions about Lucifer and Kenna's 'relationship' and walked back to the kitchen, swaying her hips slightly in hopes of catching Lucifer's attention. Needless to say, she failed and earned no more than an annoyed eye roll from Arriane.

"What an absolute—" Arriane didn't finish the sentence, and began slurping her coffee noisily instead. Kenna returned, walking slowly and uncertainly to the booth. Before she was even halfway there, Lucifer stood up and walked over to her. He took notice of her red nose and wet cheeks.

"Are you okay?" He asked, running his hand along her cheeks.

"Yeah, I'm good." Kenna said softly, wiping her cheeks on the back of her hand and sniffed discreetly. Lucifer knew something was bothering her but guided her to the booth. Lucifer had her sit in front of Arriane, closer to the window, to be sure that nothing else would happen.

Roland came a few seconds later, holding a colorful paper bag from the nearby gift shop. "I ran out and got you some new clothes, Kenna." She smiled gratefully at Roland, promising to pay him back.

She took the bag and walked back to the washroom. Wendy returned while Kenna was gone, silent and looking apologetic for once. She placed down everyone's orders as Kenna came rounding the corner, dressed in a baggy gray shirt and white board shorts.

Kenna and Wendy locked eyes, but none of those in the booth could see what they were silently saying. Kenna was the first to look away and shyly took her previous seat, refusing to allow Lucifer to give up his.

Wendy placed a spare plate along with the syrup in front of Kenna, who still refused to meet her gaze. Lucifer and Kenna split their Super Slampler and dug in, everyone's mood brightening instantly.

"So, Ken," Arriane started with a mouthful of banana-chocolate chip pancake,"do you have a place of your own?"

"No, I'll probably rent a cheap apartment or something. I mean, I can't stay in the hotel forever." She laughed, her eyes looking at Lucifer for a split second.

Lucifer smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders once again and this time, Kenna leaned into his embrace. Breakfast went without any other incidents and they continued through the rest of the day smoothly.


	3. nothing more than a gorgeous stranger [Kenna]

It wasn't like Kenna to be so comfortable around a man. But with Luc, she always felt so at ease. His presence soothed her to a point where she had almost forgotten what fear or anxiety was. Almost.

Those feelings, however, always had a way of finding her. No matter how calm she could be with Luc, she was always paranoid that somehow, she'd lose him and she'd have really no choice but to go with her parents, who'd probably have her pay rent, or to go back with Kyle, who'd still have his rules but gladly welcome her back.

It was only yesterday that Kenna had met those friends of Luc, Arriane and Roland. She liked them instantly. Arriane was the girlfriend she had longed for, the one that those girls at her workplace were always giggling with. Roland, on the other hand, was sweet and charismatic. He was the kind of guy that you could talk to when you needed it, much like Kenna herself.

The day had flown by and the next day, Kenna was up before Luc to get ready for work at Cafe On The Beach, which was almost all the way on the other side of the island. She'd told Roland that she'd normally use Kyle's old van to drive to the Cafe, and now since they were no longer together, she didn't have a ride.

Arriane had overheard and declared that she's be there bright and early to give Kenna all the rides she needed to whenever and wherever she needed to be. After seeing Roland persuade her to not drive to the Denny's, Kenna suspected that Arriane was no stranger to getting pulled over. But she didn't want to be rude and turn her down.

So, dressed in her attire of another pair of white jean shorts and a red t-shirt with her curls twisted into a bun, Kenna waited in front of the hotel for Arriane to pull up. Luc barely stirred when she had showered and got dressed but Kenna was sure that she had heard his mumble her name in his sleep. She smiled at the memory and waved down Arriane as she pulled up into the hotel parkway.

"Morning sunshine!" Arriane called as Kenna climbed into the passenger side. The drive to the Cafe was anything but silent. Besides Arriane's sunny chatter, the blare of the radio filled the car as they drove down the island. When they pulled into the parking lot, Kenna hopped out of the car, still smiling from Arriane's contagious grin.

"And you get off at six o'clock sharp, correct?" Kenna nodded, waving goodbye to Arriane and walking into the Cafe. She punched in and was greeted by a few whispered 'hello's. Only one person truly greeted her.

"Hey, Kenny-girl!" A dark-skinned girl with a radiant smile called, pulling her into a hug. 

Kenna laughs, happy to see her one and only coworker friend, a fellow waitress at the Cafe named Leona Campbell. She and Kenna were instantly connected, relating on almost all their interests. Leona, with her long ebony hair always plaited into braids, was an expert in styling hair and sometimes Kenna would go to Kyle's with her own curls in long braids.

Leona had been the only one aware of Kenna and Kyle's relationship. She was there when Kenna came into the Cafe, sporting a few new bruises because she woke up Kyle while she was getting ready for work. Leona had offered to help her break it off with Kyle but then, Kenna had been so new to the relationship then and was scared of what Kyle would do to her.

She had been scared when Luc had been with her, but somehow, she trusted the fact that he would protect her. And she was right. He took a blow from that fateful switch Kyle never hesitated to strike her with on occasion. With Luc, it had all been so simple and so nerve-wracking.

"So, how's your awful boy." Leona grimaced at the mention of Kyle as always, and she tried to never say his name.

Kenna shrugged, suppressing an involuntary wince. Leona was her best friend and all, but sometimes she failed to realize how much the mere mention of Kyle causes a wave of fear in Kenna. She always fretted that Kyle might find her and take her away from her newfound family.

"Well, he's no longer 'mine', if he ever was." Kenna said, a tiny triumphant smile crawling up her lips,"I dumped him. With the help of a friend."

Leona looked at her in proud astonishment, her jaw dropping to the floor,"This 'friend' better be a man, honey. It's about time you left that other boy and got yourself a real boyfriend." Kenna laughed, walking away because she had tables to take care of.

After the many tables that started the day, Leona and her were only able to exchange a few critical details about her 'savior'. Kenna had only said that he looked her age and—very—attractive. But Leona took it as a 'you are in love with this man and he's completely smitten for you too' kind of thing.

As the two of them stood waiting for their orders to be ready, debating about how Luc—Leona also had some prominent opinions on his name—was just a friend who enjoyed physical contact and sometimes used it as a bit of an escape. Kenna had given her tables their orders and was waiting for yet another check to be printed out when a few other waitress' began giggling and blushing in the kitchen.

"Ooo, Kenny! You have got to come look at this gorgeous stranger who just came in." Leona sang to Kenna, dragging her from her place leaning against the cool countertop. "I can assure you that your boy—Luc—has nothing on this gorgeous face."

Kenna knew exactly who had walked through the door the moment she caught a glimpse of the unmissable auburn waves. "Oh my God." Kenna said, deftly hiding from view the moment she saw Luc's blue gaze flicker over to where she was peering at him.

"I know, right? You think he'll reject me if I asked him out." Leona asked, standing on her tiptoes to get a better look at Luc.

"I may have only known him for two days, but trust me, Luc is probably the type of guy who'll let you down easy." Kenna said, daring to take another peek to find Luc. But he had disappeared from sight.

"Wait, back up a little bit." Leona said as Kenna began walking out of the tight coven of giggling girls to grab the check she had been waiting for. “That man is Luc?" Leona whistled lowly while Kenna nodded,"I must say, he’s more handsome than the devil himself."

Kenna didn't respond, for she had already walked away to check on her tables. She delivered the check to those who asked for it and was on the way to refill others drinks when a gentle hand was placed on her shoulder. When she turned around, Kenna was looking up into the brilliant eyes of Luc.

It made her dizzy to be looking up so intently and Kenna felt herself sway slightly. But Luc's hand steadied her unknowingly. "So this is the Cafe you work at. Some of these waitress' are no better than that Wendy girl from the Denny's yesterday morning." He said, removing his hand and shoving it in his jeans pocket.

Kenna laughed, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, only for it to pop back out again. Luc chuckled, noticing the rebel strand of hair and produced a Bobby pin from his pocket. "Arriane told me I would be needing this. Thought I might be needing to break in somewhere." They both laughed quietly at his comment.

With more care than Kyle ever hand, Luc wove the strand of hair back into place with the Bobby pin. It amazed Kenna how cautious he was to not poke her. When his hands seemed to tear themselves from her hair and go back into their pockets, Kenna's hand brushed where they had fixed her hair.

"Thanks, um," She looked down at the tray that was loaded with glasses from the other tables,"I have to refill these but my lunch break is in a few minutes so you can wait around if you want." Luc nodded, and Kenna retreated to the drink station, eagerly refilling each glass with their respective drinks.

Kenna gave everyone their drinks as carefully as possible, knowing that Luc's eyes were watching her every little move. Her steady, practiced strides across the restaurant floor and the discreet wobbles of her tray were all subjects of Luc's gaze. Kenna was just waiting for something bad to happen.

During the drink deliveries, Kenna experienced nothing that could influence her thoughts of bad luck. Soon, she put up her tray and bid goodbye to Leona before walking over to Luc, who was casually sipping on a glass of Coke. Kenna noticed Luc slip a five dollar bill underneath his napkin as he stood up and walked over to her.

"So, where do you want to go for lunch?" Kenna asked while Luc slung an arm over her shoulders, a gesture that she had grown used to—and the envious stares that came along with it—as they walked out of the Cafe. She spotted the familiar white Taurus but Luc pulled her around and down the path that lead to the beach.

"I thought we were going to lunch?" Kenna asked as Luc took her down the path, a low chuckle rumbling up from his throat.

"We are." Luc said,"Our lunch is on the beach. Arriane thought it might be a good way to get to know each other."

Kenna nodded, not really knowing how to respond as they walked down to the beach. It was Monday at three in the afternoon so Kenna expected the beach to be crowded with little kids and their parents. But to her surprise, the beach was empty of people.

There was only two figures on the beach, Arriane and Roland. Arriane was spreading out a checkered blanket while Roland shifted through the contents of a large wicker picnic basket. "Will they be joining us?" Kenna asked, smiling at the pair of friends. They were closer than her and Leona could ever be, of course Arriane and Roland had known each other much longer.

"Nope!" Arriane called, taking two Tupperware containers out of the basket along with paper plates and plastic utensils,"Ro and me will be out of your curly locks as soon as we finish setting up your spread."  
The way Arriane moved so swiftly, you could tell she knew what she was doing. "Have you done this before?" Kenna asked, nearing the blanket with Luc.

"Of course. Our last gig was in a little place called Cross Roads, Texas. We were all there, helping a friend get his girl." Roland said, closing the basket and walking towards the two.

"Oh, did it work?" Roland laughed and Arriane was the one who answered.

"Like magic. They kissed, said 'I love you' and all that other sappy stuff. Cam and Lilith are probably somewhere far away from Cross Roads. Lilith hated it there, said it was like her own personal Hell." Roland swatted at Arriane with the basket and she hissed something at Roland.

Kenna noticed Luc had a sad, almost guilty, expression. "Luc? Is something wrong?" She asked, looking into the taller male's gaze and suppressing her growing dizziness. Luc said nothing and pulled on a sweet smile.

"No, not at all, love." Kenna knew it was a lie but she didn't push. It was a quick and easy way to earn a cold shoulder or worse, a one-way ticket to Losing-Luc town.

Arriane finished setting up the last few items on the blanket and then skipped over to Roland as the darker skinned male placed the basket on the blanket,"Alright, you two are all set. Don't make her late for work, Luc!" Arriane shouted over her shoulder as she was already walking away with Roland.

Luc didn't answer as Kenna sat down cross-legged on the soft blanket. "Take a look in the container and see what Arriane brought for us." Kenna wrenched off the lid from the Tupperware as Luc sat down besides her.

Inside the container were sandwiches, panini to be exact. "It should be a panini sandwich cut in half." Luc said, his voice wavering nervously.

Kenna laughed,"Yep, it looks delicious. Did you make it?" Luc smiled bashfully, earning a playful shove from Kenna. "What would you have done if I refused to meet you here?"

"Well," A pink flush was crawling up Luc's pale cheeks as he rubbed the nape of his neck,"I probably would've brought the picnic to you. Or saved it for tonight's dinner. I figured you'd want something besides drive-in food."

Kenna was surprised by his logic. They had eaten drive-in food all of yesterday and she was getting a little sick of it. She was actually planning to make something at the Cafe and take it home to Luc. This was totally unexpected, and she loved it.

"Arriane wants us to get to know each other. Call me crazy, but I feel like I've gotten to know you better in these two days than I knew Kyle in the year before I went out with him." Kenna said, handing Luc one of the halves of the panini and getting the other for herself.

"You're not crazy." Luc said, taking a bite of the panini as Kenna did the same. The cheese was still melted and merging perfectly with the savory flavor of the meat. The panini bread was soft and crisp at the same time, it all made Kenna feel like she was sitting a little Italian restaurant, the exotic smell of delicious Italian food wafting around her. The mere thought was intoxicating to her mind.

"My God, this is amazing." Kenna sighed after swallowing her first bite. "It makes me want to go to Italy." Luc chuckled, and Kenna could've sworn he mumbled something along the lines of ‘one day, I’ll take you’.  
"So," He politely swallowed before continuing,"this question might be a little out there but I'm curious. Did you have a religious upbringing?"

Kenna swallowed what had to be her fifth bite of her sandwich half,"I think the only reason my parents prayed was to that I wouldn't be born." She laughed wryly, studying the layers of her sandwich.  
"Why do you say that?"

"Well, they weren't too keen about the idea of raising a child. I like to think that they weren't ready. It was my grandparents that convinced them to not put me up for adoption. They weren't abusive but they just didn't like me. Oddly enough, I am the oldest and least favorite."

"You have siblings?" Luc asked, still working on his sandwich as Kenna held the last mouthful of hers.

"Yeah, twin brothers and a baby sister. Josh and Jared are graduating this year. My younger sister, Rebecca, just started high school. I don't know if I'll attend their graduation or not but I'll do my best." Kenna said, finishing off her sandwich.

"But to answer your question," Kenna mumbled, chewing and swallowing the remains of her sandwich,"I didn't have a major religious upbringing. I wasn't baptized but I did go to holiday masses with my grandparents. My other siblings, however, were on the better side of Mom and Dad so they got a baptism and went to Sunday School."

Luc offered the last few crumbs of his sandwich to a pack of nearby gulls and eyed the smaller Tupperware container. He reached over and removed the lid. Kenna could practically see the aroma float up and swirl around her. It smelled so sweet, like the air was now ninety-eight percent confectioner sugar.

"What are these?" Kenna asked, peering into the container to see delicate-looking and some brown rough-edged round cookies. The shape and gentle ridges on the golden brown item resembled a seashell. The rounded ones reminded Kenna of an Oreo.

"Madeleines and macaroons. Madeleines are the shell ones and macaroons are the round ones. I thought it would be a nice way to end this lunch break." He held the container near Kenna,"I didn't make these. Roland did, surprisingly enough." Kenna laughed and plucked a madeleine from the container.

When she bit into the cookie it was no longer a cookie but more of a cake. It was soft and sweet and lighter than air, the powdered sugar on top added a nice touch. Luc took a macaroon for himself but never started eating it. "What?" Kenna asked through a mouthful of madeleine, completely tossing away her 'ladylike manner'.

Luc said nothing as he scooted closer and held the macaroon to her lips. Kenna swallowed and looked right into Luc's eyes. She saw her own reflection staring right back at her. Eyeing Luc's fingers on the cookie, Kenna carefully bit the cookie. Luc let go instantly, pinning her hands down with his own.

He moved closer, making Kenna's ear feel like they were on fire from her blush. When Luc bit the other end of the cookie that was not in Kenna's mouth, a little shock came from where their lips touched. Kenna's eyelids almost fluttered shut but the contact disappeared along with the brief spark when Luc broke the cookie in half and pulled away.

Luc popped the half cookie in his mouth and grinned at Kenna. "These are delicious." Luc said, as if their moment was nonexistent. 

Kenna never allowed her eyes to leave Luc as she pushed her half of the macaroon back into her mouth. It was sweet with prominent hints of chocolate. But the delectable taste couldn't take her mind off of that spark when Luc's lips brushed hers.

"Yeah, they are." Kenna said, her eyes falling to her hands, Luc's were still on top of hers. She watched as one moved from her hand to her cheek, fingers brushing along the line of her lips. Luc's thumb traced her jaw and finally cupped her cheek, leaning closer as if he didn't want her to flinch away.

But Kenna wanted anything but to pull away. She was caught in the trance of his slow, cautions touch. When their lips connected, it was like Kenna was higher than Heaven. She felt like she was floating—no—flying through the sky. It was soft, sweet, feeling like something that Luc had postponed for a long time.

She was lost in the feeling, almost forgetting what it was like to not be kissed by Luc. But she was forced to pull away when something stung her ear. She turned to find what looked like an arrow planted in the sand. Luc followed her eyes but immediately scrambled in the opposite direction.

Kenna rose to her feet, swaying slightly as she still felt like she had been in the air. She pulled the arrow from the sand and examined it. It was unlike any arrow she had seen or used, slimmer and a silver color with a swirled pattern carved into the shaft.

The oddest thing, to Kenna at least, was that the tip was blunt. "Luc? Have you ever seen this kind of arrow before?" Kenna asked, turning to Luc with the arrow in hand.

"I have experience. But Arriane and Roland have more. I'll take it to them." Luc said, gingerly taking the arrow, his hands not going anywhere near the tip, even though it seemed harmless. He put the Tupperware containers into the basket and rolled the arrow into the blanket like a burrito.

"C'mon," Luc said, handing her the basket so he could wrap an arm around her shoulder. "We should be getting back." His eyes flickered to the ocean where Kenna saw the sky turn an angry gray color. They walked to back to the Cafe and Luc took the picnic basket from her before throwing everything into the backseat of the station wagon.

"Um, that kiss was phenomenal by the way." Kenna said, desperate for their goodbye to not be a silent one,"You must've had a lot of practice."

Luc laughed softly, closing the door and walking over to her. "No, not really." His lips turned up into a smile. 

"Well, you are devilishly attractive. It's hard to believe that you haven't been with enough girls to kiss that good." Kenna said as he took her hands in his. 

"I've only ever been with two girls." He said, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand."One was named Lucinda but she preferred to be called Luce." Another kiss between her knuckles. "And the other," Luc bent down to whisper in her ear. "is you."

Kenna closed her eyes and shivered as his warm breath tickled the shell of her ear. Luc's left hand moved to the back of her neck, his right never letting go of her hand, bringing her lips to meet his. Kenna's free hand trailed up to his shoulders, trying to tell him to not go.

But when the kiss ended, the ghost of a whisper floated by her ear,"Roland will be here to pick you up." Kenna finally opened her eyes to find Luc and the station wagon gone. While processing the disappearance, Kenna felt the weight of something in her hand, the one that Luc had kissed and held.

Kenna opened her hand and saw a circular bronze locket. In elegant penmanship that outdid Kenna’s even on her best days, the words "born of fire" were engraved on the face of the locket with a tiny heart below the three words. 

Kenna clicked open the locket, not really expecting to find anything within. But a piece of ivory-colored paper was inside, folded so carefully to make it fit into the pocket within the bronze circle.

Gently taking it out of the locket, Kenna unfolded the paper and found a poem written in the same script as the engraving on the face of the locket.

Kenna  
Your soul is like mine  
Tattered, broken, bruised  
But it is beautiful  
I knew the moment I saw you  
That we were meant to meet  
On the beach  
Standing on the sun-kissed sand  
You looked so lovely  
You are always breathtakingly beautiful  
You are Kenna, my love, my one and only  
You are born of fire  
And I shall never allow anything  
To cease my love and adoration for you

With all my love,  
Luc

Kenna smiled and spied the shadow of more of Luc's fine, elegant script. Turning it over, a little note was scrawled on the back of the paper.

P.S.  
A little Arriane had a hunch that you  
love to draw and wake up craving  
charcoal pencils and a sketchbook.  
There's gonna be a surprise for you  
when you come back to the hotel.

She smiled, fingering the chain and clipping it around her neck. With the locket, even though Luc wasn't there, she felt at ease. Her lips were still tingling from the kiss as she walked back into the Cafe to finish off her day.


	4. forgetting the consequences [Kenna]

Kenna stood, shivering as the cool evening wind sending goosebumps up her legs and arms. The sun had set moments ago and she was still waiting for Roland or Arriane or Luc or someone to come get her.

She watched as a dark gray sedan passed the Cafe for the third time. Kenna rubbed her arms nervously as she didn't bring her sweater. Normally, she didn't need one because she was always home before it was dark. And other times, she had enough sense to wear a longsleeve and long pants. But she wasn't about to blame it on Luc, who had done so much for her in the past few days.

Much to Kenna's displeasure, the sedan parked in a space not far from where Kenna stood. A lean figure exited the backseat of the car and it only took a second for Kenna to recognize the bleached-white hair and the cold eyes that still haunted her.

"Kyle." Kenna's voice was not above a whisper as she slowly backed up and reached for the door. She pulled but it remained shut. When Kenna turned, Kyle was walking over with a menacing grin on his unpleasant face.

"Hey, baby." He said, now close enough to slide an arm around her waist. Kenna's hands tried to pry it off but Kyle's grip only tightened. "Your Luc isn't here to protect you now, is he?" He purred, and Kenna's heart fell to her feet in fear.

"I was intending to just take you back home and . . . 'abuse' is a bit of a stretch don't you think?" Kyle pulled her to the sedan's backseat, practically shoving her in before sliding in besides her. The smell of cigarettes stung Kenna's nose and she looked down to find numerous cigarettes on the floor of the car.

"Well, I think it is. So how about a little 'game', baby?" Kenna just looked at him in fear as he continued, oblivious to her frightened expression,"I won't cause any harm to you, as long as you do as I say. If you rebel, well," He pressed himself against her to whisper in her ear,"I'm sure you can figure out that for yourself, hmm?"

Kenna found herself nodding along,"What's your first order?" Kyle blinked in surprise while Kenna bore into his icy olive green eyes with her defiant glare. "If I find no harm in the gesture, I'll accept. If I don't like the gesture then, you'll hurt me."

Kyle smiled,"My Kenna has grown since the last time I remember. Last time, you just nodded along like you were zoned out." He pulled her closer against him. "Well, I was going to take you out for a drink. At that bar I always go to, Shark Tank Lounge."

Kenna pondered for a moment. "I'll just be accompanying you to get a drink? Just a friendly gesture?" Kyle shrugged and nodded. "Alright then."

"Good answer, baby." Kyle purred as the car began to move. Shark Tank Lounge was all the way in Port Isabel, just ten minutes away since there wasn't any traffic. Kenna peered at the dashboard of the driver, hoping to see that they were low on gas. They had a full tank, much to Kenna's disappointment.

The car didn't park at the bar, it pulled up beside the other cars and Kyle helped Kenna out, keeping an arm securely around her waist. Kenna didn't even try to look as though she was comfortable with Kyle. She grimaced at his touches against her arms and tried her best to shy away from his kisses.

She sat down at a little table at the very back while Kyle went to the bar to get some drinks. Kenna watched in disgust as he smiled seductively at the female barista. He got two glasses of tequila on the rocks and brought them over to where Kenna was sitting.

"Try a drink, baby." It was a command, not an offer. Kenna raised a brow as Kyle sipped one of the glasses. 

"You know I don't drink. Or maybe you weren't paying attention while you spent three-quarters of our relationship here getting drunk and sleeping with other girls." Kenna hissed, the stench of alcohol burning her nose. She smirked as Kyle's knuckles turned white gripping the glass, his face strained with his coming rage.

"Remember our deal, baby?" Kyle managed through gritted teeth. Kenna cursed under her breath and slowly reached for the other glass, earning a tiny smile from Kyle.

She stared at the translucent liquid and swirled it around, grimacing as the ice clinked against the glass. Kyle reached across the table and pushed it to her lips. He tipped it gently and Kenna squeezed her eyes shut as the liquid poured into her mouth.

Eager to get it over with, Kenna swallowed the mouthful of tequila. The moment she swallowed, Kenna's throat burned fiercely. She slammed the glass down and coughed.

"That's disgusting." She coughed, swearing to herself that she'd never taste alcohol ever again. The burning had faded and her throat had cooled, reminding her of NyQuil.

"Now, now. It's an acquired taste. Have another sip." Kyle held the glass to her lips but Kenna turned away childishly. She heard Kyle growl and received a sharp smack to her cheek. She gasped, hand flying to the for-sure red mark from the smack. Her eyes watered out of habit, and it made her feel weak and useless. As she had been during all the other times Kyle had slapped her with his hand or with his switch.

"Have another sip." Kyle prompted, pressing the glass to her lips once again. He swirled the liquid again and the glass seemed to have more tequila inside. Kenna took a deep breath and took a tiny sip. She swallowed, throat burning and Kyle forced another generous gulp down her throat.

When he finally took the glass away, her eyes were watering fiercely and coughs escaped her lips from the pungent taste of the disgusting drink. "Kyle, please don't make me drink anymore of that." Kenna pleaded, her voice meek and wobbly. 

Her unwilling submission to Kyle made the man smile and look down at the contents of the glass. He downed it quickly and left to go back to the bar. She watched him walk away and was tempted to make a run for it. He was preoccupied with flirting with the barista again so he wouldn't notice if she left, right?

Chewing her lip, she rose out of her seat and began walking quickly to door. The door handle was just within Kenna's reach when a hand spun her around and dragged her back to the table in the back, where absolutely nobody could see what would go on.

"What are you thinking?" Kyle hissed to her, his breath reeking of the tequila,"Running out on me, are you baby?" Kenna gulped, all her instincts telling her to make a scene and maybe someone would help her. If not, that would just earn her a beating in the backseat of that cigarette-reeking sedan.

"I thought you were smart enough to figure out that disobeying me would hurt you. You always forget the consequences." Kyle's harsh tone brought back millions of pictures from Kenna's memory. 

-a few months ago-

The switch was beating her harshly, Kyle's cruel words jabbing at her. Her face was wet with tears as he body shook with violent sobs. Whenever she failed to stifle them, she earned a sharp blow with the switch. 

"You are useless, nothing! Lower than nothing, you insolent bitch." Kyle snarled while Kenna moved a trembling hand to cover her mouth. Kyle caught sight of this and moved around from his position behind her to smack her hand with the switch. It struck her nose, causing a short scream to rip from Kenna's throat.

"Weak! You can't even take a hit to your nose!" Kyle swatted her back again as Kenna tried to crawl her way to the bathroom, the one room in the entire house that Kyle didn't make a key for. If she locked the door, it would give her enough time to open the window and get out of the house.

She didn't care that she had nowhere to go, nowhere to take refuge from this horrid man. One last strike and she made a very painful run for it. She limped into the bathroom and twisted the lock, scrambling on top of the toilet seat to reach the window. 

Sometimes during the night when she woke up to use the bathroom, she climbed where she is now and began figuring out how to undo the locks Kyle had on the windows. When she had learned to do that, she used her lunch break to make a copy of the key to Kyle's van and hid the spare on the back of the toilet tank.

Now, she grabbed the key and opened the window, hauling herself as agilely as possible out the window. She landed harshly on the barren backyard and hurried to the van, the key safely in her bra.

"Kenna!" Kyle screamed, slamming the screen door harshly as Kenna jumped into the van. "You think you can get away from me?" He screamed again, twirling the original keys to the van on his finger. He was close and so was she, all she had to do was pull out the key and start the ignition.

But Kyle would see her, put things together and scream unthinkable things to her as she drove away. Kyle knew people in low places, he would find a way to get back to her and hurt her again, forbid her to leave the house and get new locks. With her mind racing with all these idea and assumptions, Kyle quickly opened the door and swiftly punched Kenna.

The only thing she remembers after that was waking up on the raggedy couch, shivering because Kyle had the AC on. She sat up, wincing at her sore back and saw Kyle standing in the doorway. His expression was blank, unreadable.

He narrowed his eyes at Kenna and said,"You always forget the consequences." He tossed Kenna bottle of antiseptic and an old rag before retreating to his room.

-back to present events-

Kenna's mind was wrenched back into reality by another slap by Kyle. She whimpered quietly, trying her best to push him away. Her arms were weak with fear, collapsing with each push like a plastic water bottle. Suddenly, Kyle was dangling a foot off the ground by the collar of his shirt.

"You are twisted little thing, aren't you?" Arriane sneered, ramming Kyle into the wall as if he was feather-light. Kenna stood in a daze, processing that this girl was smaller than her—and Kenna was already fairly small—had a man larger than her pinned to a wall with one hand.

"Arriane's stronger than she looks." Roland said softly, gently pulling Kenna into his arms. Kenna gasped but Roland hushed her, and she found herself curling closer to Roland. She wanted Luc and she felt that he was there. Craning her neck to look over Roland's shoulder, Kenna saw Luc.

How he looked broke her. She could see the betrayal in his blue eyes and the pain in the way he held himself, his hands in his pockets balled up into fists. He caught Kenna staring sadly at him and she couldn't stop the single pent-up tear that rolled down her face. 

Kenna watched as Luc moved his gaze from her to Arriane, who was having a ball with Kyle. "That's enough, Arriane." Roland said sternly and Arriane huffed, letting Kyle down. "He's Luc's to deal with."

Roland was right, Luc had swiftly taken Arriane's place. He towered above Kyle and Kenna saw something change in him. His eyes had turned crimson, burning with rage. She blinked, hoping that she was only delirious. But his eyes still remained red, and it frightened Kenna more than she already was.

When Kenna let a tiny whimper escape, Luc turned to look at her and his eyes bore into hers. They were ten times more vicious than Kyle's had ever been. Kenna shrunk into Roland, who promptly tightened his grip protectively around her as she began to shake.

Feeling her growing trembles, Roland swiftly turned with Kenna and Arriane and walked out of the bar, away from the brewing brawl that was about to take place. Arriane pulled Kenna out of Roland's arms as he hopped into the passenger side. Kenna swiftly climbed into the backseat after Arriane.

"We're waiting for him aren't we?" Arriane grumbled, folding her pale, spindly arms across her chest.

"Yes. Why do you think I'm not in the drivers seat?" Roland murmured sarcastically, so softly that Kenna almost didn't hear him. Arriane muttered something unintelligible and looked impatiently out the car window.  
"Ar-Arriane?" Kenna stumbled, still a bit shaken from the incident with Kyle and the discovery of Luc's changing eye color. She stared at her hands, her insecurity kicking in when she saw her hands were still trembling along with the rest of her body.

Arriane's face softened at the falter in her words, and she scooted closer as she unfolded her arms to wrap them around the trembling girl. "Yeah, Ken?" She asked the girl as she curled into Arriane's thin yet sturdy frame.

"I saw something in the bar, something change in Luc." Arriane hummed, almost silently, for her to continue,"His eyes, they turned red." Speaking it out loud made Kenna's hands go clammy and sweaty, just as they did the time she was fixing to break it off with Kyle. The only difference was that Luc wasn't there with his warm hands to calm her. Arriane was as good as it was going to get.

But Kenna didn't mind it all that much. It reminded her of how she used to hold her after a nightmare because their brothers would scare the crap out of little Becca by making her watch scary videos and movies. The younger girl would have nightmares for a week after the incidents and Kenna would never hesitate to take her baby sister in her arms and sing her favorite lullaby.

The loud slam of the car door made Kenna jump out of Arriane's arms and yelp exactly how she did when her brothers would scare her as well. "Hey, Ken. Shh, it's okay." Arriane soothed, gently pulling her close once again and rocking her as if she had been traumatized. Well, her experience was just frightening. "It's just Luc."

Immediately, Kenna looked to the drivers seat of the station wagon and saw Luc. His knuckles were turning white as he gripped the steering wheel so hard, Kenna feared it would break. Her idea wasn't that farfetched, considering the Luc had probably beaten almost all the cruelty out of Kyle.

"Calm down, man. You're gonna freak out Kenna again." Roland hissed, making Luc loosen his grip only slightly. Luc shook his head, as if he was shaking sand out of his hair, and turned the ignition. Kenna saw and braced herself for the rev of the engine, trying her best to not reveal the fact that this had probably been one of the worst experiences she had had with Kyle.

Luc pulled out of the parking space and drove back to the island, not bothering to mind the speed limit. They reached the hotel quicker than expected and Kenna was grateful for that, more time to sleep away this nightmare. She was about to climb out of the car but Roland and Arriane looked confused.

"I thought we were going to—" 

"We aren't going." Luc growled shortly, his voice scarily identical to the snarl of a wolf, cutting off Arriane's statement. "She's had an eventful night, Arriane. She needs rest."

"I can handle one more event. As long as it's not too eventful." Kenna laughed breathily. She really couldn't but curiosity took control of her senses, as it had many times before.

"You need rest." Luc repeated, a tad less harsh than before. Arriane sighed gloomily and climbed out the car. Kenna and Roland followed. Luc was the last to exit the car, his hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans.

When they reached the elevator inside the hotel, only Luc and Kenna entered. "Bye, Ken. We'll see ya tomorrow." Arriane whispered, pulling her into a tight embrace. It calmed Kenna bit more. Roland said nothing as he kissed Kenna's forehead in a friendly way before gently nudging into the elevator.

The both of them were silent as they rose to their floor and walked into their shared room. Swiftly, and still silent, Kenna grabbed the set of ‘pajamas’ Luc had gotten her and walked into the bathroom or shower and change.

She was sweaty from fear and hurriedly turned on the water while peeling her clothes off. She hopped quickly into the shower, and stood directly under the stream. Kenna allowed the water to warm her body, rid her of the bothersome trembles, and lathed some soap into her palm.

Washing her hair and body took only a matter of seconds. When she was finished, she stepped out of the stall, greeted by the stream that had accumulated in the room. She wrapped her hair in a towel and patted her body dry, quickly pulling on her practically-worn-out bra and the rest of her clothes. 

She looked in the mirror and sighed. She was going to have to go to some kind of store to get some fresh underthings to wash the ones she had been wearing for three days. She stepped out of the bathroom while drying her hair with the already damp towel.

When she saw Luc sitting on the bed, his elbows on his knees and his hands on his knees, she froze. The shut of the door made his head dart up and his eyes locked with hers. Arriane had never answered her question about Luc’s eyes, or maybe she did and Kenna just didn’t hear.

Either way, his eyes were once again brilliant sky blue, as if what she had saw was a hallucination. His pale, gorgeous face was contorted with worry. He had obviously seen Kenna’s conflicted expression. 

“What’s wrong, love?” He asked, standing and walking over to her. He reached to cup her face but yanked his hand back instantly when he saw Kenna flinch. Guilt swelled in her stomach at his pained expression.

“I’m sorry. It’s not you or anything you did, okay?” Well, maybe a little, Kenna wanted to add but thought better of it. 

“Would you like to talk about it?” Luc asked politely. Kenna groaned mentally. What he was asking was pretty much a command for her to talk about it, not an offer.

She chewed her lip and nervously fingered a strand of her hair.”Well, it was just something that happened in the bar.” She felt the flush dominante the color of her cheeks as Luc hummed for her to continue,”When you looked at me, your eyes turned red. And now they’re blue again.”

She knew Luc was looking at her as if she was crazy. As if on cue, he chuckled,”Love, eyes don’t change color. I was mad, I grant you that, but my eyes don’t just swap colors.” He made it seem as though it was the most absurd thing.

But it kind of was. Kenna found herself laughing in embarrassment,”Yeah. I guess I was seeing things. Sorry.” Luc’s laughing tapered off and he tilted Kenna’s chin up to look at him.

“You don’t have to apologize, Kenna.” He said softly, leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek,”You were frightened, you don’t have to apologize for things like that.” He pressed another kiss to her other cheek.

His face hovered close to hers, his gaze locked on hers, his breaths practically against her lips. Luc’s stare made Kenna’s insecurity rise up again. “What? Is there something on my face?” She asked, feeling her face for any bumps or anything.

Luc reached and took her hands into his, shaking his head in denial,”You are gorgeous, Kenna Martinez.” He whispered, the words ever so soft and featherlight, as he leaned down to connect their lips.

They molded together so perfectly, as if they had been destined by God to be together. Kenna never wanted Luc’s lips to leave his. But, unfortunately, she had to breathe. She pulled away, breathing heavily and a blush painting her cheeks with red. Of all the thing she hated about herself, she hated the way she blushed the most and envied Luc’s blush.

With Kenna, whenever she got embarrassed or flustered, her face would turn red. Her blush spread all the way up to her ears, making them feel as though they were on fire. But Luc’s blush was, much like himself, perfect and absolutely beautiful. It was elegant, like a waltz, as it dusted his pale cheeks and freckle-spattered nose.

“I hate to stop, love,”Luc murmured, resting his forehead against Kenna’s,”but I have to go the bathroom.” 

“Oh! I’m sorry.” Kenna said, quickly pulling away so Luc could get past her. Before he could close the door, Kenna swiftly caught it, despite her growing nervousness. “Um, Luc?”

“Yeah?”

“What are, what are we?” Kenna faltered, looking down at her feet and then back up to Luc.

The man smiled, and leaned against the door casually,”We are what other people would call a ‘couple.’” Luc said, grinning devilishly and doing air quotes around the words ‘couple’ before going back into the bathroom.

Kenna giggled and swiveled around to the bed, lazily flopping down. She knew that it was a little fast to be dating a guy she had known for two days, but it felt right to Kenna. Deep down, it was supposed to happen. 

With a yawn and a smile, Kenna pulled the blanket over her and curled underneath. She was barely drifting off when she felt Luc crawl in next to her. She smiled as he wrapped an arm around her waist and whispered to her,”Goodnight, my darling love.”


	5. 05| the stormy shade of gray [Lucifer]

Lucifer waited until Kenna was deeply and soundly asleep before he rolled away from her. It made his heart ache to be doing this but he had to protect her. Now that they were officially, as mortals call it, dating, it made Kenna a target for all the other demons, and possibly the angels, that were after Lucifer.

Arriane said that he would know when the right time would be to tell Kenna who he really was. And, much to his luck, Lucifer hadn't felt the 'right time' to reveal to Kenna that he was Lucifer, the devil, Satan.

But there was progress on his allegiance. Well, with his personal allegiance, anyways. When he ducked into the bathroom earlier in the night, he unfurled his wings and saw that even more of his feathers were turning gray. It reminded him of how mortals age, making him wondering if he was aging or if his time was running out. Tonight he planned to consult Arriane and Roland on this matter.

"Finally! What were you two doing?" Arriane asked as Lucifer jogged out of the hotel. Roland was leaning against the station wagon, tapping away on his cell phone. When he looked up and saw Lucifer, he quickly shoved his phone in his pocket.

"Are we taking the car?" Lucifer groaned, eager to spread his wings anywhere outside the hotel bathroom. 

Arriane giggled and shook her head, her iridescent wings unfurling from her back, casting a glorious light on Lucifer and Roland. The golden aura from Roland's wings merged into Arriane's silver glow, a beautiful combination like the first seconds of a gentle sunrise.

"Course not! We're flying out to meet the rest of our team." Lucifer was remembering that Arriane said she was already putting together a team of angels to help Lucifer, even before he had shown her the starshot Kenna found.

Lucifer was more than hesitant to unfurl his wings, knowing they'd cast no light and no aura. With a sigh, he allowed his wings out of their confinements for the second time. He didn't want to see the pairs awed faces at the new condition of his wings.

"You are aware of the change, correct?" Arriane managed through her shocked gasps. Lucifer nodded and tried his best to fold his wings behind him. But, obviously, the fluffy gray and tarnished feathers were still visible. 

"Anyway," Roland started, eager to get out of the uncomfortable silence,"Let's get going. We have until sunrise to get back." The angel and the devil nodded to the demon as they rocketed upward. Lucifer had to stifle a cry of joy, the feeling of the wind through his feathers giving off a feeling a freedom. He had been aching to fly, desperate to get out and into the air. Now his thirst was nearly quenched. If only he could stay here forever.

But they had work to do. Annabelle had told Arriane that she'd be meeting them at the far east side of the island with the former Outcasts-now-angels. At least, those who'd be willing to work with Lucifer and protect Kenna while he tried to manifest a way to fix all of this.

They made it in record time, considering they had only starlight to find their way to the meeting spot. When they landed, Lucifer could see the hot pink hair of Annabelle. Upon closer inspection, there were a few figures behind her which soon became more figures, a complete army of angels. Their white wings shone so brightly, Lucifer feared he would become blind.

Annabelle smiled excitedly at Arriane and Roland but her smiled turned to a astonished gape when her eyes landed on the filaments of Lucifer's wings. "Wow, I never imagined the devil could change." Annabelle muttered, unfurling her own pewter-colored wings.

"Astonishing, right?" Arriane grinned as the three began approaching their new angel allies. The angels behind Annabelle soon caught sight of Lucifer's new wings and inched forward carefully.

"Is it safe? Can we trust him, Annabelle?" One angel asked, one Lucifer recognized as Phillip Aves, eying Lucifer warily.

Lucifer stepped closer to the angels,"I understand your cautions. You have every right to not trust anything I say. You do not have to trust me, but please trust the girl I love. She is the only thing I concern myself with now. I want her to be protected."

"How do we know that you are not lying." Phil sneered.

"Look at his wings!" Arriane snarled in annoyance, gesturing to Lucifer,"If that is not enough proof for you, then you can leave. Kenna means more to Lucifer than anything. He wants only to protect her from the punishments of his crimes."

A moment of silence passed between the two parties.

"Tell us about this girl you claim to love." Someone called from behind Phil and Annabelle. Lucifer smiled gratefully at the unknown angel.

"She is absolutely magnificent. So undeniably beautiful, she might as well be an angel." Lucifer whispered, the devil uncharacteristically lovestruck. "I adore her, so much I can't put it into words. I need only to know that you would help me keep her safe, only until I can find a way to deal with this revolution of my own creation."

The angels behind Annabelle murmured in astonishment, but Phil was having none of it. "Do you remember Lucinda?" The name pierced Lucifer's newly-healed heart and Phil smiled when he saw the devil wince,"How can we be sure that this girl will not love someone else and you will become enraged once again?"

Lucifer sighed, for he knew that he had been in for this particular inquiry since the beginning. "I have no control over who Kenna chooses to love. But if she does choose me, I shall protect her and tell her who I truly am. If she flees from me when she discovers I am the devil, I shall return to Hell."

The angels continued to whisper amongst themselves, Phil and Annabelle turning to each other to discuss their matters. When Phil turned back to Lucifer, the muttering stopped. "We will only be helping Arriane, one of ours, and Roland, one of your demons," Roland bristled at the word behind Lucifer,"to protect Kenna, correct?" Lucifer nodded.

"And if when you tell her that you are Lucifer, if she runs, you will not curse her?" Lucifer nodded solemnly. "Then we have a deal." Phil said, smiling at Lucifer for the first time and held out a hand.

Lucifer stepped forward, shaking the hand of Phil and the hand of Annabelle. "Thank you. Now, I would enjoy to stay and discuss the terms of your deal, but Arriane and Roland will be doing so." Lucifer said, stepping backward as the two others from behind him stepped forward.

"You have to get back to Kenna." Phil laughed, still smiling as if he found the idea of Lucifer in love uncannily amusing. "I look forward to meeting her." Lucifer nodded at the angel and took off into the newborn morning.

He raced through the clouds, imagining how it would be if Kenna would be wrapped in his arms while he soared. Oh, the places they could go. They could travel the world from one place to another in an instant. It pinched him awake from his daydream when Lucifer landed besides the station wagon. 

He waved a brief hello to the receptionist and bounded into the elevator. When he reached the hotel room, he crept in almost silently. Kenna still lay just as he had left her, soundly asleep and breathing steadily.

Lucifer smiled in admiration and crawled in next to her, emitting a soft sigh once her fragrance of gardenias entered his nose. Lucifer had decided yesterday that he wanted to spend as long as he could with Kenna. He was completely aware that those spiraling against him would do almost anything to keep him from being happy after all the things he had caused them.

Yesterday, he had consulted Roland and Arriane in his idea to maintain Kenna's safety. The hotel was crawling with mortals that were too indulged in their technological devices to notice if one of the angels or demons were to take Kenna. It was no longer safe for her.

He had found a nice spot further down the island where nobody ever ventured. It was the perfect place to build a bit of a sanctuary for him and Kenna. Within an hour, the house was ready and Lucifer was planning to take Kenna there.

However, due to the incident with Kyle, Lucifer had decided that Kenna had had enough surprises for at least two days. He decided against taking Kenna to their new sanctuary. 

Now, he lays with Kenna pulled closely against him, as if she were to vanish any moment. He was so frightened, as this love was so completely new to Lucifer, that they'd burst in and take her away from him. Lucifer couldn't bear the thought of losing the first being he's loved in a very, very long time.

A soft hum tore Lucifer out of his clouded thoughts. Kenna began shifting and eventually rolled over to face Lucifer. She smiled at him, undeniably groggy."Morning Luc." She whispered. Lucifer laughed softly when she curled closer to him, like a newborn eager to be held against their mother's warmth.

"Morning, love." He murmured back, but Kenna was already dozing off again. Lucifer made up his mind quickly, a little too quickly, and began to force the words out before he could think twice.

"How about if this is our last morning in the hotel?" He said, wincing when Kenna looked up in pure shock.

"Excuse me?" Kenna asked, her suspicion becoming more noticable by the second.

Lucifer nervously fingered the pristine sheet,"Well, I was thinking that you'd enjoy a kitchen of your own, your own bedroom so wouldn't have to share with me. And I contacted a few friends I have in real estate and might've possibly gotten a house." Lucifer watched, wincing everytime Kenna's mouth gaped more and more.

"Are you saying that you bought a house for me?" She asked, rolling out of the bed and pacing in frustration. "Luc, I understand that you are original, but this a whole new level! I mean, to buy an actual house when we just barely made ourselves official yesterday? What exactly is going through that head of yours?"

"I only wish to protect you." Lucifer murmured, clenching the sheets to control his anger. Kenna was indeed furious with him, this was absolutely no 'right time' to tell her that he was the devil.

Kenna laughed in disbelief,"Protect me? From what, exactly? You beat some sense into Kyle yesterday, I don't doubt it. But you have to face the fact that you cannot always be there to stop me from skinning my knee when I trip!"

Lucifer burst, unable to retrain the truth that left his lips or the red pigment that stained his eyes,"There are worse things out there that will harm you and only you because you are with me! And, believe me, I have done things that you cannot imagine!"

He watched as Kenna took a step away from him, her expression showing the fear when she saw his crimson eyes and his razor sharp teeth, for they had sprouted out of his disguise. His eyes drifted back to blue and his teeth flattened as the now-familiar lump grew in his throat.

A single tear rolled down his cheek and Lucifer caught it on his hand. Lucifer sighed. Kenna had already seen a part of him without his disguise, there was no point in hiding the truth from her any longer.

"I am not who you think I am, Kenna Andrews." Lucifer looked at the girl he loved, at the fear and confusion in her eyes. "I am not Luc, not mortal like you. I am Lucifer, the devil, Satan, ruler of Hell." He was trembling now, struggling to contain his sobs. 

Kenna still hadn't said anything, so Lucifer continued. "The day I met you, the revolution against me started. I knew I had it coming. I shouldn't have allowed to get you so close to me. Now, you're in danger. You can be used as bait because I'm sure there are beings who know how much you mean to me."

Lucifer hadn't noticed that either Kenna was inching closer or Lucifer was the one moving closer to Kenna. But Kenna's eyes held no more confusion or fear. There was only curiosity and something that made her eyes sparkle, like millions of gorgeous dark topaz jewels. 

There was love within her eyes, love for him. Lucifer was denying it so he couldn't be hurt but when Kenna's hand reached up and cupped his face, he knew what he saw was true. She loved him, Lucifer had never felt so joyful in all his time.

"You are anything but the devil. You can love, you saved me." Lucifer was barely listening, he was lost in the sweet, soft touch of Kenna.

He sighed every time Kenna's fingers traced over his cheekbones, making a blush arise on his pale cheeks. It wasn't long before Kenna stretched up on her tiptoes and closed the gap between them.

With her sweet scent so close to his nose, Lucifer was nearly higher than Heaven. Kenna lips were like honey against his, sweet and gentle. Lucifer leaned down, hoisting her up and holding her close. He never wanted to stop kissing Kenna, and he wasn't the one to pull away.

Kenna looked down, blushing profusely and shifted,"I'm sorry but I just woke up and. . ." Kenna trailed, openly hoping Lucifer would put it together.

"Ah, yes!" Lucifer laughed softly, and allowed Kenna out of his embrace so she could quickly go to the bathroom. 

Lucifer wished Kenna was an angel or that he was mortal. Kenna would make a glorious angel, so sweet and beautiful. But Lucifer would give anything to age with Kenna, to have a family with her, to lay buried next to her. 

"I can't lose her." Lucifer mumbled just as Kenna walked out of the bathroom, tying her hair into a messy ponytail.

"You won't. I promise."

Lucifer looked at her instantly, his eyes locking into hers as more tears welled in his eyes. Without any hesitation, Lucifer ran over and scooped her up into a hug. Kenna giggled wildly, caught off guard and undeniably in love. "I won't allow anything to take me away from you, Lucifer."

He sighed, loving how his real name rolled off her tongue. "But, you do deserve to know the entire truth. About me. About everything." Lucifer said, as Kenna craned her neck to look right at him.

"Come, sit." Kenna pulled herself out of his arms and walked over to the couch, extending her arms for Lucifer. Lucifer hesitantly crawled into the crooks of Kenna's position. Kenna wrapped her arms around the devil and buried her nose in his auburn hair.

"You can talk. I'll listen." Kenna whispered and Lucifer allowed every story in its true form to flow out of him. From Lucinda and Daniel to Cam and Lilith and everything in between, Lucifer felt a large weight rise from his chest with every word he poured out to Kenna. He even failed to leave out the deal of Kenna's protection between him and the other angels.

Kenna listened diligently as Lucifer spoke and pressed kisses to his hair whenever he began to sob again. When the stories were over, Lucifer guessed that Kenna was still processing everything he told her, as she was completely silent. He clung to her, desperate to remain anywhere near her. 

"So, you cursed Lucinda because she fell in love with Daniel instead of you? And Lilith because Cam failed to love her back as a punishment to Cam?" Kenna whispered, her voice wavering slightly. Lucifer nodded into her chest and he felt Kenna shake her head.

"What if I would fall out of love with you? You'd curse me or the guy I fell in love with?" He knew that Kenna was rightfully shocked, but the thought of losing her falling in love with someone else made him tremble, with either rage or fear.

"That is where the deal with Annabelle and Phil come in. If I manage to make a bargain with the Throne, be it me turning mortal or you turning to an angel, I can be with you and go wherever we please. But if not, and you fall in love with someone else, then I'll be forced to return and rule Hell. They shall protect you until then." I wish i could, Lucifer almost added.

"Well, I don't really thing that I would be falling out of love with the devil anytime soon." Kenna whispered, pulling Lucifer close for a kiss. Everytime their lips met, Lucifer swore to himself that he would try his best to not lose Kenna. Long-forgotten carnal instincts overwhelmed him and he pinned Kenna beneath him on the sofa.

Kenna knew exactly what Lucifer was getting at, hooking her arms around his neck as their tongues fought for dominance. Kenna's knee raised and rubbed gingerly against Lucifer's crotch. Lucifer moaned into the kiss and a hand slid down to grip her bicep. 

When Kenna's knee rubbed a bit harder, Lucifer pulled away with a lewd moan. His eyes shot open when Kenna yelped in pain.  
Lucifer immediately let go and rolled onto the floor. Both of their eyes met and then drifted to Kenna's bicep, where there were bleeding marks from Lucifer's nails. Perhaps he squeezed a bit too hard. Kenna must've seen the fear and tears in Lucifer's eyes, as she quickly tried to comfort him.

"Lucifer, it's okay! I'm okay, it doesn't hurt that much."

"But I hurt you. Didn't I?" Lucifer mumbled, hanging his head in shame. Kenna couldn't seem to find the right words to form an answer. "I have to find a bargain." Lucifer growled shortly and pushed to his feet. He winced at the slight ache in his lower area and willed it to vanish.

"Lucifer, you do not have to be afraid of hurting me." Kenna whispered, walking over and allowing their hands to brush. Lucifer sighed at the contact and spun around to face the girl. "I'm tougher than I look. Besides, I know you would never hurt me on purpose." Lucifer leaned into the hand that had found it's way on his pale and freckled cheek.

"I wouldn't ever do it on purpose. But I cannot stand the thought of hurting you, even accidentally." Lucifer placed a kiss to Kenna's palm, smiling slightly as the blushed. "I will not make love to you until I can be sure that we are not in danger, that you are not in danger."

Kenna sighed, rolling her eyes at Lucifer. "Fine, but about that house." Lucifer groaned inwardly. "Hey, you brought yourself into this argument. Suck it up, and listen. I would love to see it, and, holy shit! I'm late for work! Why did you allow me to sleep in?" 

Then it was a rush, Kenna pulling off her clothes and tugging on black jeans and an army green t-shirt. Lucifer grabbed her hoodie and ushered her to the car. With that, they sped down to the cafe. 

When they pulled into the parking lot, Kenna pecked Lucifer on the cheek and ran inside. Lucifer smiled dazedly as he watched Kenna's curly hair bounce as she struggled to twist it into a bun.

He pressed a kiss to his index and middle fingers and turned them to Kenna. She was standing with her head cocked to the side and a slight grin of her face. When she left for the kitchens, Lucifer started the car and pulled out of the lot, staring at the sky. Just like his wings, the sky was still a stormy shade of gray.


End file.
